For me the green builder’s tedium is the boring non-VOC paint and I’m forever looking for more natural and interesting wall applications. The book Tadelakt – An Old Moroccan Plaster Technique Newly Discovered, by Michael Johannes Ochs and published by Norton, is one such source for alternatives to the bla of big company non-VOC paint. […]
Tadelakt – An Old Moroccan Plaster Technique Newly Discovered – Book Read More »
Here is an email from a client that shows our new green contractor business plan is working. At the end of last year we decided to reconfigure Eco Brooklyn to make it more effective. We had too many jobs and we struggled with keeping the quality up. As the jobs ended we stopped taking on so
Eco Brooklyn’s Green Contractor Business Plan Feedback Read More »
A typical thing happened today in the life of Eco Brooklyn. One of our workers noticed a dumpster full of wood and called it in to the office. I dispatched our “Rescue Truck”, Eco Brooklyn’s veggie oil pickup, to go salvage the wood before it was carted off to the dump. This wood has sat
It Should Be a Crime! Read More »
We just made a last minute switch from Zehnder’s Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) to Ultimate Air’s ERV for our Manhattan Passive House project. There were two main factors in this decision: price and USA made. Zehnder is a great unit and Barry the sales rep is a great guy. You’ve got top grade quality and
Ultimate Air Energy Recovery Ventilator Read More »
Wikipedia is one of the wonders the internet has brought us, along with Google, Paypal, Facebook and Craigslist. This list goes on. But Wiki and Craigslist are special since they are founded by true visionaries and idealists who value free speech and free information above all else. Wiki and Craigslist could easily have sold out and created
This NYC government web page lists the times, zip codes and dates that helicopters will spray pesticides over the city. They call it the “Aerial Larviciding Schedule”, and define Aerial Larviciding as: Dropping natural bacterial granules by helicopter to marshes and other large natural areas to kill mosquito larvae before they grow into adult mosquitoes. Does
NYC Sprays Toxic Chemicals over City Read More »
Here is an interesting video showing some of the latest green building products for 2011. Of note are improved LED lights (although still very expensive and using huge amounts of embodied energy), net zero homes for the masses and dual function solar PV panels cooled by water that is then used in the house as
Green Building Trade Show Video Read More »
Here is a cool web site about all things Passive House, aptly called, International Passive House Magazine, or IPHM. It is run by Tamas Banki. Based in Hungary he is doing a great job pulling together all the PH info from around the world. As a Passive House builder in New York I found the site interesting
Passive House Web Site Read More »
We just finished applying the EPDM roofing membrane to the Harlem Passive House renovation. The owners plan on growing vegetables on the roof. We like EPDM over all other roofing applications because it has a good combination of price and durability.
EPDM Application on NY Brownstone Read More »
The book Green from the Ground Up – Sustainable, healthy, and energy-efficient home construction byDavid Johnston and Scott Gibson is one of my suggested books for Eco Brooklyn’s rookie workers and interns. The book is very similar to Your Green Home – A Guide to Planning a Healthy, Environmentally Friendly, New Home by Alex Wilson, another
Green From the Ground Up Book Read More »
